The Anglo-Zanzibar War holds the record for the shortest recorded war in history.
The war was fought on 27th August 1896 and it lasted between just 38 to 45 minutes.
CAUSE:
This war started off majorly due to the death of the Pro-British Sultan named Hamad Bin Thuwaini. Back then, the British had considerable authority over the Zanzibar sultanate because new Sultans could only be peacefully recognized if they obtained permission to rule from the British consul.
After the death of the Pro-British Sultan, a new Sultan named Khalid bin Banghash broke the protocol by ascending the throne without the permission of the British government.
WAR:
The new Sultan was initially given an ultimatum to either swear allegiance to the British empire or step down from the throne.
He refused to comply with any of the demands.
Finally, on the morning of 27th August 1896, the British Army marched on the royal Palace of zanzibar.
The British Army had also managed to rally some Zanzibar soldiers to their cause.
The rebelling Sultan on the other hand, actually defended his Palace with about 2,800 men, some of whom were civilians, slaves and soldiers.
The British bombardment of the Palace started by 9:02 am and soon ended by 9:46 am. Enough firepower had been unleashed by the stronger British army, which resulted in the death of over 500 Zanzibari. Only one British sailor was wounded.
After ceasefire was declared, the British boldly made a deciding move on the rulership of Zanzibar.
AFTERMATH :
After the brief war, the sultanate of Zanzibar ultimately lost its sovereignty as the British assumed near-total control of the Sultanate.
Today, the ancient and defunct Zanzibar sultanate is now part of Kenya and Tanzania.
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